May, 2010

Opposition from mainstream political leaders will not go away just because new reactors get built The nuclear industry continues to be of two minds when it comes to communicating with the public. On one hand, it’s engineers feel that facts will speak for themselves and that all that has to be done is...

Denison Gets EPA Wake-Up Call; UEC Faces Accusers in Hearing This blog post is an edited version of an article published in Fuel Cycle Week V9:N375 May 6, 2010 by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency issued a notice of violation to Denison Mines (...

Department of Energy will spend $122 million over next five years. The future of nuclear energy will be found in software. The Department of Energy announced this week it will spend $122 million over the next five years to establish and operate a new Nuclear Energy Modeling and Simulation Energy Innovation...

With cap-and-trade unlikely, green groups see it as the best alternative to coal This blog post is an edited version of an article published in Fuel Cycle Week V9:N376, May 13, 2010, by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC. The long and probably doomed path of the Senate climate legislation...

In radio interview he raises questions about GE-Hitachi’s new laser enrichment process This blog post is an edited version of an article published in Fuel Cycle Week V9:N377, May 20, 2010, by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC. Gregory Jaczko, Chairman of the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission...

Government ties renewal to election cycle ( NucNet ) May 25 - Spain needs to renew the licenses of its eight commercially operational nuclear reactor units and plan for the construction of three new units by 2035 if it is to maintain a competitive and sustainable electricity mix, the president of the...

Live Webcast June 2, 1:00 PM ET / 10:00 AM PT Register here (free webcast) A month after the explosion of the Deepwater Horizon and into the ongoing oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico, the full environmental costs of the disaster remain unclear. However, some of the event's implications for the oil...

Fuel cycle and reactor development decisions are indicators of progress for the nuclear renaissance Among the signs of progress for the nuclear renaissance are investment decisions in enterprises that support all phases of the industry.  Three examples are highlighted here for the front end of the...

Public perceptions of problems at nuclear reactors are being cut down to size Getting an accurate bead on nuclear energy controversies is often more an issue of changing perceptions than the reshaping the physical dimensions of a problem. Also, the realities of having nuclear reactors that generate electricity...

Suzanne Hobbs, an artist, comes up with original images. Say goodbye to canned images of mushroom clouds and drab gray cooling towers. She writes that she is exploring the relationship between fine art and nuclear energy. It should come to no surprise to readers that, according to her bio , she is the...

PSEG will file an early site permit for the state’s fifth reactor Environmental groups in New Jersey have something new to be unhappy about. Public Service Enterprise Group ( PSEG) told the Nuclear Regulatory Commission (NRC) it will file an Early Site Permit ( ESP ) for a new nuclear reactor to be located...

Energy Sec. Chu calls for support three short-listed new reactor projects Congress will get a pair of requests for new energy loan guarantees of $9 billion each – one for nuclear energy and one for renewable energy technologies including solar and wind. The move comes as the gulf oil spill continues...

U.S. Department of Energy measure will boost investor confidence in the $2 billion plant. The long wait is over for Areva. The U.S. Department of Energy has offered a conditional commitment for a $2 billion loan guarantee to AREVA to facilitate financing of its Eagle Rock Enrichment Facility planned...

The special section advises them how to take advantage of the industry’s growth trend MarketWatch, a free financial web portal published by the people who produce the Wall Street Journal, has a large special online section that is a guide to investors in nuclear energy. The editors write that ballooning...

Idaho lab director say romanticizing solar and wind isn’t useful energy policy Demonizing energy sources such as nuclear energy and coal while romanticizing alternative forms such as solar and wind "leads to nothing but bad decisions," the Idaho National Laboratory's director told Bonneville...

Energy & Climate Minister pledges "not one atom of help" from the government The future of nuclear energy in the U.K. does not look bright based on the rhetoric coming from Chris Huhne , the new government's Energy & Climate minister and key advisor to Conservative Party coalition...

Developments occur in Germany, Turkey, Italy, and the U.K. There is plenty of news from Europe on the nuclear energy front. Some of it is in the “pro” column, but all of it is influencing the shape of energy policy there. In Germany Chancellor Andres Merkel is facing new challenges to her plan to keep...

Transmission distance to the country’s oil industry and the Saudi border were key factors A remote beach at Braka in Abu Dhabi on the Persian gulf about 50 km (31 miles) from the center of Abu Dhabi’s oil industry at Rawis will be home to four new nuclear reactors to be built by a South Korean consortium...

Litigation abounds over rates and license applications President Barack Obama’s support for building new nuclear power plants with federal loan guarantees is not making much headway with the hard edges of the anti-nuclear crowd in the South. Lawsuits are coming up quicker than robins chasing worms on...

President Obama has a better chance with banking reform than he does saving the planet Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., introduced today a nearly 1,000 page climate and  energy bill which hit the Senate floor with a resounding thud. Despite a politically savvy Christmas tree of political appeals to various...

Japanese utility will take an 18% share and provide technical support for construction of two 1,350 MW ABWR reactors NRG ( NYSE:NRG ) announced May 10 a far ranging and ground-breaking deal with Tokyo Electric Power Company ( TEPCO ) which will become a partner in the construction and operation of two...

Opposition remains strong against American business interests Controversial legislation to establish monetary liability limits in case of a nuclear energy accident was introduced to the Indian parliament last week for the second time. Last March Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had to withdraw the bill...

Russian neighbor seeks energy independence with nuclear energy Finland’s parliament is expected next month to approve government requests for authorization to proceed with two new proposals to build nuclear reactors in that country.  The country’s political leadership based the request on two objectives...

It’s the third time GE-Hitachi has lost a sale because it could not come to terms on costs Dominion Virginia Power ( NYSE:D ) announced May 7 it has selected Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) Advanced Pressurized Water Reactor ( APWR ) technology for its planned third nuclear reactor at the North Anna...

Plant will be located in Hobbs, NM, a short truck haul from Urenco’s enrichment facility This article is an edited version of a story published in Fuel Cycle Week , V9:N374 April 29, 2010 by International Nuclear Associates, Washington, DC International Isotopes ( OTC:INIS ) based on Idaho Falls, ID...